# Oom Paul: gunk problem.



## Oudis (Oct 28, 2011)

Hello everybody,

I have a bit of a problem (understatement) with my only Oom Paul -which happens to be a beautiful one and one of my favorite pipes. I bought it recently on eBay, and did a salt-and-booze treatment (I used vodka) for the bore, leaving a pipe cleaner (to which I added a few drops of vodka as well) in the shank. Then I smoked it and -oh glory hallelujah, it smoked easily, the flavor of the tobacco wasn't polluted by any previous tobacco ghost or gunk, it was everything I hoped it would be aside from being a beauty.

Now as many of you know I'm recently divorced and my family took my camera with them so I cannot take a pictures, so I'll use the diagram you see. The problem is that after that first smoke, when I used the pipe cleaner to remove ashes, etc. from the shank, the very ashes (and probably some unsmoked tobacco) I was trying to remove formed a ball of gunk situated in (B), between the bore (A) and the shank (C), a place I cannot reach from either place. It seems to be hard, and it's stuck there&#8230; I've tried pipe cleaners, the poker of the 3-in-1 cleaning tool, a piece if hard wire&#8230; No way. I can't get rid of it, I can't push it towards the tobacco chamber, nor can I push it towards the shank; I can't poke a hole through it. And I can't believe there is no solution, and that I'll have to throw this beauty away.

Suggestions please everyone&#8230; Even bizarre, strange, crazy ones. Or perhaps there's a simple answer I can't see.

Thanks in advance.

Oudis.


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Oudis, please don't throw it away. If you do throw it my way. 

Okay first things first. What you need to do is find a drill bit that is the same size as the shank hole (could be 5/64th's or 4mm) take said drill bit and work it with your hands. Try getting it into said chunk and TAKE YOUR TIME. Sooner or later you'll brake through said obstruction..... Hope this helps. If not hit me up.


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## Firedawg (Nov 8, 2010)

senior reamer has a hand held drill bit built into the reamer. great investment for around 30.00 I actually drill all my Petersons out to 4 mm (they are usually tight draws otherwise.)


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Drip some vodka down the shank and hope to dissolve enough of the ash/tar that the rest will clean up with a pipe cleaner? Just a thought. I don't know if it will help or not.

Do you have a shank brush?


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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

Oudis! I have been tempted many times to get a "Oom Paul" but have backed off because I feared a clog up problem similar to yours. Please keep us informed about the outcome of the "terrible clog".:ranger:


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## NarJar (May 9, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> Drip some vodka down the shank and hope to dissolve enough of the ash/tar that the rest will clean up with a pipe cleaner? Just a thought. I don't know if it will help or not.
> 
> Do you have a shank brush?


I'm with Clifford. I would suggest trying to put a little liquid down the shank to try and at least soften the gunk-ball up so you can push it out.

Also, I might suggest trying to remove the stem, and use an air hose down the shank to try and blow it out (if the compressor is powerful enough). I would think with the restricted airway, and if you could get a good seal between the hose and the shank, you should be able to blow it out. Anyways, you said crazy thoughts allowed, so there's mine!

Good luck!


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## z0diac (May 18, 2010)

Compressed air. Works for almost everything


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## InsidiousTact (Dec 3, 2010)

I'd also say get some hard alcohol in there! Maybe it'd come out?


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Compressed air is a fantastic idea.

I said "vodka" in my post only because you said you used vodka in the first post. Everclear is the gold standard. My corner liquor store always has it, but I understand it's hard to find for some. Second choice is whatever the highest proof stuff you can find. I've seen 151 proof rum, that would probably be my second choice.

Were you ever able to pass a pipe cleaner at all? Or is the curve so tight that you couldnt at all?


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I'm not sure compressed air will really clear it. It might create an airway, but I suspect that the gunk will not come out like piece of gum stuck in your windpipe being blown out by the Heimlich maneuver. The drill on the Senior Reamer would be the thing I think. Once you get enough of a hole to have airflow, I'd go with the method in *The Pipe*: Fill the bowl half way with high proof booze and blow gently through the stem, letting the alcohol bubble away in there to dissolve the tars.

Warning: I am a real novice at restoring pipes!  I'm just passing something on from an "authority", Georges Herment, who wrote *The Pipe*. I have actually used the drill from the Senior reamer to good effect, too.


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

Using a drill bit (by hand!) from the shank end is a good idea. Dip it in the strongest proof alcohol you can find (if not 195 proof, then Bacardi 151).

Keep in mind that someone made this pipe, at some point. And it's not like there are curved drill bits out there. The draft hole does reach the bottom of the tobacco chamber. Unless your Oom Paul is a 2-piece, which I haven't heard of.

Also, once you get the obstruction free, I'd spend an hour or so with a pack of bristled cleaners dipped in alcohol trying to get the airway *really* clean. S/A treatments work well for removing ghosting from the bowl. But doesn't do anything for the tar gunk built up other places. . .which is where most gunk accumulates. If your pipe was well-used by it's former owner, you likely have a buildup of sticky tars on the inside of the shank & stem. . .I've done a lot of restoration work (200 pipe or so), and 80% of the labor is getting the insides clean.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

CaptainEnormous said:


> And it's not like there are curved drill bits out there.


You know, the first time I saw a hawkbill, I wondered about that for a minute...


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## Oudis (Oct 28, 2011)

Hey everybody,

Several days have passed and the problem remains unsolved -I'm getting worried.

I followed Gahdzila's advice, soaked it all in alcohol and yes, it worked to a certain extent. Using the poker of the 3-in-1 cleaning tool (the pipe cleaner was too soft, it would bend all the time) I could remove, slowly and patiently, about half a ton of accumulated gunk that hadn't come out with the regular salt-and-alcohol treatment (you're right Captain Enormous: there were three centuries of tar accumulated there). I also blew gently through the stem, letting the alcohol bubble in there to dissolve the tars; I alternated both methods, actually. However, I reached a spot where not even the three-in-one poker would go through. I think I hit wood, not hard gunk. And I still can't smoke the pipe.

I don't really want to drill my way through the gunk into the bore since I believe the structure of the pipe isn't average. I'm not so sure how this pipe is actually made. I'm not very dexterous with my hands and I might break the pipe, but furthermore I think I found a diagram that might explain the observed phenomena. I only can reach "C" in my diagram, where a lot of gunk had been accumulating for ages, when I should be able to use a pipe cleaner in "B", that is from the shank to the bore ("A").

Any more ideas?

Gratefully,

Oudis.

PS: Coffee-Cup: My advice about buying an Oom Paul right now is "don't". Live long and prosper.


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Only thing I could offer Oudis is if you are at your wits end with it send it to myself or any one of the fine Brothers here that would be willing to help you get your baby smoking well again. I'm sure any of us, with the proper tools, could get it unplugged for you.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Hook it up to the garden hose.


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## Firedawg (Nov 8, 2010)

Oudis send it to me I will fix it and return.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Ouidus - I agree with the other guys. If you're absolutely at your wits end, you can send it to one of us and we'll give it a shot for you. I'd be more than happy to try (one of the other guys is probably more experienced than me, though).

Or do you have a local pipe shop?

Or send it to one of the guys online that do pipe repairs? Though I've never used his repair services, I have bought stuff from Walker Briar Works (he sells cob pipes and stems and also does repair work), and I can vouch for him being a stand up trustworthy guy at least. His website is Walker Briar Works - Repairing Fine Pipes Since 1968


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

Oudis said:


> Hey everybody,
> 
> Several days have passed and the problem remains unsolved -I'm getting worried.
> 
> ...


Almost sounds like you're dealing with a Peterson "System" pipe. 
I know it's not a Pete, but the issue you describe sounds just like trying to restore one of those dreadful things (sorry Pete lovers. . .but restoring a System pipe is misery. . .even worse than a never-cleaned Lumberjack!)

I'd send your pipe off to one of the puff volunteers. Or a pro. Good luck!


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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

Gratefully,

Oudis.

PS: Coffee-Cup: My advice about buying an Oom Paul right now is "don't". Live long and prosper.

View attachment 37274
[/QUOTE]

Thanks Oudis! I am glad that you posted your problem and I have read all of the responses from brother BOTL's. I have long been apprehensive about the difficulty of this problem; I even see problems with simply cleaning and maintaining this type of pipe.:scared: I will continue to follow your plight and hopefully its solution!:ranger:


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## Oudis (Oct 28, 2011)

Hello again everybody,

I couldn’t post this message before –I meant to but couldn’t, I’m sorry. First of all I would like to thank all of you (Hannibal, Firedawg, Gahdzila, I hope I’m not skipping anyone) who offered their help –their time, their work– to help me solve this problem. I just couldn’t –I’d feel I’m taking advantage of your good will. 

The (presumably big) chunk of gunk is still there and at this stage I am pretty certain that Captain Enormous is right and my Oom Paul has a Peterson system –meaning fixing it is something I simply cannot do by myself. 

Using air and water are no solutions since I cannot figure out how to get the necessary seal between the hose and the shank –that kind of solution will require more dexterous hands than mine. I have used vodka and alcohol but they barely had any effect at all. And drilling is something I just don’t dare do.

I have decided to take the pipe to one of the two tobacconists I know and trust –one doesn’t repair or refurbish pipes, the other does. I hope he knows how to solve the problem –more than that, I wouldn’t mind it if he somehow got rid of the awful and ridiculous Peterson system and drilled through the pipe in a straight line. 

I will let you guys know how things go. Once more, thanks again.

Oudis.


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

If I'm understanding you rightly, I would use a short length of an unwound "G" string from an electric guitar .018 or so and gentle puncture the blockage. It might take a while, but if you're paying attention, you'll feel the differentce when the string is poking gunk vrs briar. 

A pack of light top/heavy bottom electric strings guaged 10 - 52 can be made into very useful tools for pipe restoration... a life time of niche tools for a measly 6 bucks!


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## Kenny_Jo (Dec 14, 2011)

The very first thing come to my mind is: send it to some expert in pipe repairing.
I believe members here can offer you some great pipe repairers or you can search online.
May be before you send the pipe to them, mention and discuss the problem you have with email.

The second thought is use some pipe cleaning solution to fill the bowl. 
Since you mentioned there is a lot of tar and some cleaning solution claim that they can dissolve tar. 
May be that could help.


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## Oldguy (Feb 12, 2008)

Oom Pauls are a joy to smoke; I have two of them. Even if they're heavy, they hang effortlessly in your mouth. Both have the moisture trap in the shank below the airway. I'm a bit late to this discussion, and presumably you have solved the problem by this time; I hope so. If not, hand-drilling the airway will eventually get rid of the problem; you just have to do it carefully. Start with a 1/8" drill, held with pliers, and twist it in carefully. Back it out, get rid of the stuff in the drill, then continue. You'll eventually get it there. Softening it by soaking with 90% alcohol first might help. I always clean mine carefully after every smoke. i use Q-tips and alcohol in the moisture trap. I've been smoking one of them for 40 years with no problem.


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## Gigmaster (Jan 12, 2009)

I will share with you the Joel Clyde secret to cleaning Oom Paul's, and other long-shanked pipes. I am an old musician, and a force of nature on guitar and bass. If you play, or know someone who plays guitar, get one of their old guitar strings next time they re-string. You want one of the wound strings (not the B or high E). Now, very carefully, run the string down the shaft, spinning it as you go, just like a mini-Roto-Router. Just keep digging away at the clog, and it will bust through. If the G string doesn't work, go to the thicker A and low E string. You will eventually bust through. Then you can use extra-long (Churchwarden) pipe cleaners to finsih it off.


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